Unemployment + Society | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/unemployment+society
Indexen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Tue, 03 Mar 2015 23:50:50 GMT2015-03-03T23:50:50Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
We need to talk about the UK’s immigration policy | Lettershttp://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/01/we-need-to-talk-about-uk-immigration-policy
<p>Your editorial (<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/27/guardian-view-immigration-figures-catastrophe-conservatives" title="">The rise in net migration shows up the hollowness of government policy</a>, 28 February) is right to bemoan the lack of a coherent, long-term policy on immigration. A key consideration must be the future ability of the government to ensure the country’s food security. Last week the National Farmers’ Union warned that in a world of food price volatility and potential shortages, the UK today imports 40% of the food it eats, compared with just over 20% in the mid-1980s (<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/24/uk-will-need-to-import-over-half-of-its-food-within-a-generation-farmers-warn" title="">UK faces losing battle to feed itself, warn farmers</a>, 24 February). This is hardly surprising given that the UK population has grown by 7.5 million during this time and annual net migration has soared more than fivefold to nearly 300,000 today, compared with 58,000 in 1985.</p><p>Of course a healthier, less meat-rich diet, improved farming and perhaps the odd ploughing up of excess golf courses could improve things. But this would soon be overtaken by the food needs of a UK population projected to increase by 10 million in the next 25 years, ie one and a quarter Greater Londons. Not to see these population pressures as a huge difficulty in a world of rising food insecurity and climate change is surely an act of gross political irresponsibility.</p><p>Do we want mass immigration or a living wage? We can’t have both</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/01/we-need-to-talk-about-uk-immigration-policy">Continue reading...</a>Immigration and asylumUK newsWorld newsPopulationFood securitySocietyUnemploymentNHSHealthPoliticsSun, 01 Mar 2015 20:38:12 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/01/we-need-to-talk-about-uk-immigration-policyPhotograph: Gavin Rodgers / Rex Features/Gavin Rodgers / Rex FeaturesPassport control at Stansted airport. 'Isn’t it time the left, the right and the greens initiated a debate about the need for a long-term population and immigration policy for the UK?' asks Colin Hines. Photograph: Gavin Rodgers/Rex FeaturesPhotograph: Gavin Rodgers / Rex Features/Gavin Rodgers / Rex FeaturesPassport control at Stansted airport. 'Isn’t it time the left, the right and the greens initiated a debate about the need for a long-term population and immigration policy for the UK?' asks Colin Hines. Photograph: Gavin Rodgers/Rex FeaturesGuardian Staff2015-03-01T20:38:12ZYouth unemployment rate is worst for 20 years, compared with overall figurehttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/22/youth-unemployment-jobless-figure
<p>16-24-year-olds are three times as likely to be jobless</p><p>Young people are nearly three times more likely to be unemployed than the rest of the population, the largest gap in more than 20 years, according to an analysis of official figures.</p><p>The number of people aged 16-24 who are not in full-time education or employment has increased by 8,000 over the last quarter. With 498,000 in that age group without a job, an analysis by the House of Commons library for Labour shows that young people now fare comparatively worse than at any point since 1992.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/22/youth-unemployment-jobless-figure">Continue reading...</a>Youth unemploymentYoung peopleUnemploymentSocietyRachel ReevesPoliticsIain Duncan SmithConservativesLabourUK newsSun, 22 Feb 2015 00:05:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/22/youth-unemployment-jobless-figurePhotograph: Ray Tang/REXRachel Reeves said the issue had to be addressed before it worsened.Photograph: Ray Tang/REXRachel Reeves said the issue had to be addressed before it worsened.Daniel Boffey2015-02-22T00:05:06ZThe Guardian view on welfare reform: In Dire Straits | Editorialhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/19/guardian-view-welfare-reform-in-dire-straits
We’ve had tough talk and serious cuts, but not real welfare reform. Slogans and gimmicks from Iain Duncan Smith and David Cameron cannot conceal this failure<p>Imagine for a moment that Iain Duncan Smith had a bureaucrat breathing down his neck – the sort of stickler that goes through a jobseeker’s claimant commitment, checking that he has done everything he promised. Put out of mind successes in notching up flattering column inches, and trying arguments with the bishops about the Christian approach to the poor. For if there were a decision to be made on sanctioning a secretary of state’s salary, it would surely be proper to judge him only against the specific undertakings he had made. With universal credit rolling out, and new ideas on overweight claimants whizzing around, this is an apposite week to make the assessment.</p><p>Let us consider, first, incapacity benefits, now rebadged as employment and support allowance, where <a href="https://www.conservatives.com/~/media/files/activist%20centre/press%20and%20policy/manifestos/manifesto2010" title="">the last Conservative manifesto</a> was explicit about how the caseload would be reduced. The pledge was to “reassess all current claimants of incapacity benefit”, with “those found fit for work will be transferred on to jobseeker’s allowance”. So how did that turn out? Well, for a time the government – with the help of its contractors, Atos – stuck doggedly to the plan of rushed reassessments all round. There were soon tales of claimants dying after having had money withdrawn, but the real administrative problem was the explosion of appeals, which very often succeeded because many medical problems were being routinely ignored at the earlier stage.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/19/guardian-view-welfare-reform-in-dire-straits">Continue reading...</a>WelfareUniversal creditIain Duncan SmithPoliticsBenefitsSocietyUK newsDavid CameronUnemploymentConservativesPensionsThu, 19 Feb 2015 19:54:36 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/19/guardian-view-welfare-reform-in-dire-straitsPhotograph: Dave Thompson/PAWork and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith. 'His faith-based claims that he could iron out every perversity of social security were never believed by the experts, who cautioned that he would achieve a modest rationalisation at best.' Photograph: Dave Thompson/PAPhotograph: Dave Thompson/PAWork and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith. 'His faith-based claims that he could iron out every perversity of social security were never believed by the experts, who cautioned that he would achieve a modest rationalisation at best.' Photograph: Dave Thompson/PAEditorial2015-02-19T19:54:36ZDavid Cameron announces plan to make young jobless work for benefits – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2015/feb/17/david-cameron-young-jobless-community-work-benefits-video
A new Conservative government would make unemployed young people work for benefits, David Cameron says on Tuesday. In a speech in Hove, East Sussex, the prime minister says that under Tory plans 18 to 21-year-olds who have been out of work, education or training for six months would have to take on unpaid community work if they want to claim benefits. 'From day one they should make an effort', he says <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2015/feb/17/david-cameron-young-jobless-community-work-benefits-video">Continue reading...</a>ConservativesUnemploymentPoliticsYouth unemploymentUK newsEducationDavid CameronWelfareYoung peopleSocietyGeneral election 2015Tue, 17 Feb 2015 15:57:52 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2015/feb/17/david-cameron-young-jobless-community-work-benefits-videoguardian.co.uk140x84 trailpic for Cameron: jobless should do community workGuardian Staff2015-02-17T15:57:52ZNew EU rules could mean more jobs for people with mental health problems | David Brindlehttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/17/new-eu-roles-more-jobs-people-mental-health-problems-work
Enterprises such as the First Step Trust, employing disadvantaged people, could find it easier to win contracts from public bodies as a result of social-value procurement<p>Dan Stears never imagined himself wielding a spanner. Nor, at least for the past 13 years, did he think he would ever have the confidence to stand up in public and pitch for business. But to his astonishment and undisguised delight, these days he finds he is doing both.</p><p>Stears has suffered severe depression and anxiety attacks since he was forced to abandon a university degree course at age 19. Now 32, he is finally rebuilding his life, thanks to the work and responsibility he is given at the Smart garage in Salford, one of a range of social enterprises run by<a href="http://firststeptrust.org.uk" title=""> First Step Trust</a>, a charity that provides voluntary employment and training for people with mental health issues or other disadvantages.</p><p>I hate the fact that I’m on benefits, but it helps a lot to think that I’m not just sitting on my backside at home,</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/17/new-eu-roles-more-jobs-people-mental-health-problems-work">Continue reading...</a>Mental healthSocial enterprisesUnemploymentSocietyPublic sector careersWork & careersTue, 17 Feb 2015 15:00:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/17/new-eu-roles-more-jobs-people-mental-health-problems-workPhotograph: Christopher Thomond for The Guardian./GuardianDan Stears working at Salford’s Smart garage. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for The Guardian.Photograph: Christopher Thomond for The Guardian./GuardianDan Stears working at Salford’s Smart garage. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for The Guardian.David Brindle2015-02-17T15:00:11ZIs the Tory plan to strip benefits from workless young people a good idea?http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/feb/17/is-the-tory-plan-to-strip-benefits-from-workless-young-people-a-good-idea
<p>The Conservatives have vowed to strip benefits from young people if they fail to undertake an apprenticeship or community work after six months of unemployment. What do you think of the plan? And will it affect your vote?</p><p>All 18- to 21-year-olds who fail to find employment or training for six months will be barred from claiming jobseeker’s allowance under a Tory government and will instead be forced to undertake an apprenticeship or community work. </p><p>“What these young people need is work experience, and the order and discipline of turning up for work each day,” said David Cameron. </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/feb/17/unemployed-will-have-to-do-community-work-under-tories-says-cameron">Unemployed will have to do community work under Tories, says Cameron</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/feb/17/is-the-tory-plan-to-strip-benefits-from-workless-young-people-a-good-idea">Continue reading...</a>PoliticsDavid CameronUK newsUnemploymentSocietyBenefitsYouth unemploymentYoung peopleConservativesTue, 17 Feb 2015 12:50:35 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/feb/17/is-the-tory-plan-to-strip-benefits-from-workless-young-people-a-good-ideaPhotograph: Mark Richardson/AlamyPeople waiting outside a Jobcentre Plus in Nottingham.Photograph: Mark Richardson/AlamyPeople waiting outside a Jobcentre Plus in Nottingham.Carmen Fishwick2015-02-17T12:50:35ZDavid Cameron’s cynical attack on ‘skivers’ will hurt the strivers as well | Tom Clarkhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/12/david-cameron-skivers-strivers-work-pay-conditions
<p>Those in work are finding their pay and conditions squeezed because employers know they can be replaced</p><p>During the recession, <a href="http://www.motherwelltimes.co.uk/news/one-man-protest-over-slave-labour-scheme-1-3587213">John McArthur</a> put himself forward to work for LAMH Recycle Ltd in Motherwell, a social enterprise that reconditions computers. An electronics specialist, McArthur, now 59, had previously worked on factory floors, then retrained, moved into product development, and even started his own company. But like many in Lanarkshire, he found that a rich CV counted for little when facing a slump. Frustrated by unemployment, he seized on the chance “to sit at the end of line” at LAMH, “doing the final quality check, signing things off as good to go. It was minimum-wage work,” he tells me, “but I was more than happy to do it. I had experience to share.”</p><p>John was prepared for the fact that this placement, which was backed by a Labour government programme, would not last forever: it ended in 2011. Nothing, however, could prepare him for what happened next. Last summer, under a new coalition make-work scheme, he was informed that there was, once again, a post for him at LAMH. But the new “offer” came with a twist: this time John would be working without a wage. There would be no reward for 30 hours graft, only the threat of subsistence-level benefits being withdrawn if it wasn’t done.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/11/unemployment-causes-45000-suicides-a-year-worldwide-finds-study">Unemployment causes 45,000 suicides a year worldwide, finds study</a> </p><p>The creep of zero-hour working continues, and there are still twice as many unwilling part-timers as before the slump</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/12/david-cameron-skivers-strivers-work-pay-conditions">Continue reading...</a>UnemploymentBenefitsRecessionEconomicsBusinessEconomic policyPoliticsSocietyUK newsBooksThu, 12 Feb 2015 06:30:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/12/david-cameron-skivers-strivers-work-pay-conditionsPhotograph: TongRo Images / Alamy/Alamy‘The recovering jobs market is one in which employers can turn labour on and off like a tap – and with it their employees’ security.’ Photograph: TongRo Images/AlamyPhotograph: TongRo Images / Alamy/Alamy‘The recovering jobs market is one in which employers can turn labour on and off like a tap – and with it their employees’ security.’ Photograph: TongRo Images/AlamyPhotograph: GuardianTom Clark2015-02-12T06:30:10ZUnemployment causes 45,000 suicides a year worldwide, finds studyhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/11/unemployment-causes-45000-suicides-a-year-worldwide-finds-study
<p>Researchers say unemployment linked to more suicides than recession and that risk among jobless is stronger where more people are in work</p><p>Unemployment in good times or bad is a far bigger factor in suicides than an economic crisis, accounting for nine times as many deaths, according to a study.</p><p>The recent economic downturn has caused about 5,000 deaths in 63 countries, whereas unemployment over the period 2000 to 2011 was responsible for 45,000, an analysis in the journal <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(14)00118-7/abstract">Lancet Psychiatry</a> has found. <strong></strong></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/11/unemployment-causes-45000-suicides-a-year-worldwide-finds-study">Continue reading...</a>Suicide ratesUnemploymentHealthSocietyWed, 11 Feb 2015 07:47:44 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/11/unemployment-causes-45000-suicides-a-year-worldwide-finds-studyPhotograph: Aurumarcus/Getty ImagesThe study said suicide prevention strategies needed to target those who lose their jobs even in countries unaffected by recession.Photograph: Aurumarcus/Getty ImagesThe study said suicide prevention strategies needed to target those who lose their jobs even in countries unaffected by recession.Sarah Boseley2015-02-11T07:47:44ZThe strange new world of evidence-free government | Zoe Williamshttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/08/government-ministers-cost-cutting-pr
When ministers’ priorities are cost-cutting and short-term PR wins, research into what actually works falls by the wayside – with disastrous consequences<p>I remember, just about, when select committee meetings were the morgues of political process, the place debates went to die. Things are different now: wonks observe that we’ve got lucky with the chairs – <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/30/heroes-2014-margaret-hodge-public-accounts-committee-hmrc-google-tax-avoidance" title="">Margaret Hodge</a> on the public accounts committee (PAC), <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jan/03/rory-stewart-interview" title="">Rory Stewart</a> on defence, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jan/27/conservative-david-cameron-welfare-cuts-sarah-wollaston" title="">Sarah Wollaston</a> on health – but committee work is flattered mainly by comparison with everything else. Most established interrogative processes have become so adversarial that they’re all theatre. Prime minister’s questions is about watching shouted wordplay that worked better on the page, then forcing out a mirthless laugh for the team. In broadcast interviews, ministers carefully dodge the delivery of any information at all; they would rather sound imbecilic, as if they understood very little and knew even less, than run the risk of having said anything of import. Over time, the dry meetings of the committee rooms have become remarkable: a Dame Something will ask systematic questions, in a transparent setting, about government or business policy, in the expectation of a mature and plausible response; and of course she won’t get one, but it is fascinatingly unusual to watch her try.</p><p>Most recently, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/04/benefit-sanctions-work-jobs-effective-employment-esther-mcvey" title="">Dame Anne Begg had some questions for the employment minister, Esther McVey</a>, on the Welfare Reform Act of 2012. She wanted to know about cuts to benefits, having carefully gathered evidence from charities and food banks in advance. “Minimum JSA [jobseeker’s allowance] sanction,” she began, “went from two weeks to four weeks and the maximum went from six months to three years. These are quite sizeable lengths of time, so what evidence did you have on the likely impact on claimants that these extended sanction periods would have?”</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/04/benefit-sanctions-work-jobs-effective-employment-esther-mcvey">Benefit sanctions are effective, employment minister says</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/30/heroes-2014-margaret-hodge-public-accounts-committee-hmrc-google-tax-avoidance">Heroes of 2014: Margaret Hodge | Polly Toynbee</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/08/government-ministers-cost-cutting-pr">Continue reading...</a>WelfarePoliticsMargaret HodgeUnemploymentSocietySocial exclusionEsther McVeyHouse of CommonsSun, 08 Feb 2015 15:23:58 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/08/government-ministers-cost-cutting-prPhotograph: Robert G Fresson/GuardianIllustration by Robert G FressonPhotograph: Robert G Fresson/GuardianIllustration by Robert G FressonZoe Williams2015-02-08T15:23:58ZQ: What’s the difference between a late politician and a late jobseeker? | Lisa Nandyhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/06/late-politician-jobseeker-benefits-cut-injustice-poverty
A: The politician lectures on timekeeping and the jobseeker has their benefits cut. With inherent injustice in the system, no wonder so many slip into poverty<p>This week I initiated a parliamentary debate to assess the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/patrick-butler-cuts-blog/2015/jan/27/health-housing-poverty-the-coalitions-social-policy-record-audited" title="">government’s record on poverty</a>. Too seldom do ministers consider the human cost of the choices they make, and nowhere is this more stark than in the place people go to seek help – the welfare system.</p><p>The lack of compassion in the system is breathtaking, demonstrated by two of my constituents who were sanctioned for attending family funerals, despite notifying the jobcentre. But just as breathtaking was the response from some MPs during the debate.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/06/late-politician-jobseeker-benefits-cut-injustice-poverty">Continue reading...</a>WelfareBenefitsSocietyPoliticsUnemploymentUK newsPovertySocial exclusionFri, 06 Feb 2015 12:17:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/06/late-politician-jobseeker-benefits-cut-injustice-povertyPhotograph: Philip Toscano/PA'We know exactly what the real causes of poverty in Britain are. They’re built into our economy.' Photograph: Philip Toscano/PAPhotograph: Philip Toscano/PA'We know exactly what the real causes of poverty in Britain are. They’re built into our economy.' Photograph: Philip Toscano/PALisa Nandy, Labour MP for Wigan2015-02-06T12:17:08ZMerit review – gripping drama made from Spain’s unemployment crisishttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/feb/04/merit-review-drum-plymouth-theatre-royal-alexandra-wood-spain-unemployment
<strong>Drum, Plymouth</strong><br />The moral questions raised in Alexandra Wood’s play about a graduate who bags a sought-after job deliver a punch in the age of austerity<p>We often talk of how great wealth is corrupting, and point to the immorality&nbsp;of bankers whose greed brought about the financial crisis. But could <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/03/britain-economic-crisis-public" title="">poverty</a> have an equally corrosive effect on the soul if your own survival is at stake? Who do you try and protect from the fallout: only family and friends?</p><p>Sofia (Lizzy Watts) is a young graduate in economically devastated Spain who, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/01/jobless-europe-young-qualified" title="">unlike so many of her contemporaries</a>, has bagged herself a job. She’s a PA to a leading banker, Antonio. She’s earning good money. But her jobless best friend, Clara, is barely talking to her, and even her mother, Patricia (Rebecca Lacey), seems disconcerted by her daughter’s new job and wants to know what she had to do to get it, clearly finding it difficult to believe that Sofia did so on merit.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/feb/04/merit-review-drum-plymouth-theatre-royal-alexandra-wood-spain-unemployment">Continue reading...</a>TheatreStageCultureYouth unemploymentYoung peopleUnemploymentSocietyWed, 04 Feb 2015 15:42:32 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/feb/04/merit-review-drum-plymouth-theatre-royal-alexandra-wood-spain-unemploymentPhotograph: /Steve TannerAmbiguities … Lizzy Watts and Rebecca Lacey in Merit. Photograph: Steve TannerPhotograph: /Steve TannerAmbiguities … Lizzy Watts and Rebecca Lacey in Merit. Photograph: Steve TannerLyn Gardner2015-02-04T15:42:32ZAs a jobcentre adviser, I got ‘brownie points’ for cruelty | Mary O’Harahttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/04/jobcentre-adviser-play-benefit-sanctions-angela-neville
<p>Former jobcentre adviser Angela Neville has written a play to expose the harsh reality of the benefits sanctions regime</p><p>Angela Neville, 48, is describing events she witnessed as a special adviser in a jobcentre that prompted her to write a play about her experiences.</p><p>“We were given lists of customers to call immediately and get them on to the Work Programme,” she recalls. “I said, ‘I’m sorry this can’t happen, this man is in hospital.’ I was told [by my boss]: ‘No, you’ve got to phone him and you’ve got to put this to him and he may be sanctioned.’ I said I’m not doing it.”</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/03/end-dysfunctional-benefit-sanctions-system">Time to rethink these dysfunctional benefit sanctions | Patrick Butler</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/04/jobcentre-adviser-play-benefit-sanctions-angela-neville">Continue reading...</a>UnemploymentBenefitsSocietyWelfarePoliticsPublic sector careersPublic sector cutsPublic services policyPublic financeWed, 04 Feb 2015 08:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/04/jobcentre-adviser-play-benefit-sanctions-angela-nevillePhotograph: Christian Sinibaldi/GuardianAngela Neville: ‘When the coalition came to power the work almost became the persecution of vulnerable people.’ Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi for the GuardianPhotograph: Christian Sinibaldi/GuardianAngela Neville: ‘When the coalition came to power the work almost became the persecution of vulnerable people.’ Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi for the GuardianMary O'Hara2015-02-04T08:00:00ZTime to rethink these dysfunctional benefit sanctions | Patrick Butlerhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/03/end-dysfunctional-benefit-sanctions-system
We want a welfare system that supports rather than punishes and is built on trust, not fear<p>The House of Commons <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/benefit-sanctions/" title="">work and pensions select committee</a> has not merely shed light on the grotesque brutalities of the current benefit sanctions regime in the past few weeks, but established an unlikely consensus among rightwing thinktanks, the welfare-to-work industry and leftwing trade union leaders that the system is hugely flawed.</p><p>So far 19 expert witnesses – academics, charity workers and welfare advisers – have come before the inquiry. All agreed that some form of conditionality – rules by which claimants agree to actively seek work in exchange for social security support – is necessary in return for the payment of unemployment benefits. But all have also concurred, to varying degrees, that the current conditions (the tightest ever imposed in the UK) are both disproportionately punitive and, in terms of helping jobless people back to work, counterproductive.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/03/end-dysfunctional-benefit-sanctions-system">Continue reading...</a>BenefitsSocietyWelfarePoliticsUnemploymentTue, 03 Feb 2015 13:58:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/03/end-dysfunctional-benefit-sanctions-systemPhotograph: Oli Scarff/GettyThe current system, critics say, assumes that claimants are trying to milk it, rather than treating them as human beings mostly willing to work. Photograph: Oli Scarff/GettyPhotograph: Oli Scarff/GettyThe current system, critics say, assumes that claimants are trying to milk it, rather than treating them as human beings mostly willing to work. Photograph: Oli Scarff/GettyPatrick Butler2015-02-03T13:58:00ZLink unemployment benefit to personal contributions, urges thinktankhttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/feb/03/link-unemployment-benefit-personal-contributions-thinktank
Treasury examining radical ideas on jobseeker’s allowance, child benefit and winter fuel allowance to meet Tories’ £12.5bn welfare cuts<p>An unemployment insurance scheme reflecting personal contributions is being examined by the Treasury as it seeks &pound;12.5bn in welfare savings for if the Conservatives are re-elected in May.</p><p>The radical proposal is one of several set out by the right-of-centre thinktank Policy Exchange, including cuts in child benefit for those with more than four children. The thinktank, which has close ties to the chancellor, George Osborne, also proposes that pensioners should be asked to opt in to receive their winter fuel payment rather than receive it automatically.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/feb/03/link-unemployment-benefit-personal-contributions-thinktank">Continue reading...</a>WelfarePoliticsBenefitsSocietyUnemploymentChild benefitCommunitiesChildrenPensionsMoneyState pensionsUK newsTue, 03 Feb 2015 09:55:45 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/feb/03/link-unemployment-benefit-personal-contributions-thinktankPhotograph: Andy Rain/EPAPolicy Exchange is calling for jobseeker's allowance to be replaced, partially by a system of personal welfare accounts. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPAPhotograph: Andy Rain/EPAPolicy Exchange is calling for jobseeker's allowance to be replaced, partially by a system of personal welfare accounts. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPAPatrick Wintour, Political editor2015-02-03T09:55:45ZAs Canary Wharf expands will more East Londoners enjoy the benefits?http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/davehillblog/2015/jan/31/as-canary-wharf-expands-will-more-east-londoners-enjoy-the-benefits
<p>London’s newest major business district could employ 200,000 people in two decades’ time, but many who live near it are still finding it hard to join their ranks <br></p><p>Twenty-five years after the completion of its hallmark <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Canada_Square">Canada Square tower</a>, Canary Wharf still inspires both adulation and bile. For a man from the Evening Standard, London’s “Wall Street on the Water” has come of age: the restaurants are now <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/james-ashton-as-foreign-bidders-move-in-canary-wharf-comes-of-age-10010881.html">rather good</a>, you see. For others, it remains the exemplar of all that is fraudulent about regeneration hype. It’s not hard to see why: the Canary Wharf <a href="http://rokarestaurant.com/canary-wharf/en/menu/su/">sashimi</a> may be “melt-in-the-mouth”, yet somehow or other 49% of children in the borough where it’s prepared <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-29626705">live in poverty</a>. The ordinary people of the derelict Docklands seem not to have been invited to the feast.</p><p>The Canary Wharf Group has been big news of late due to Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund and Canadian property investor Brookfield gaining control of its biggest shareholder, an entity called Songbird which was itself created <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3737275.stm">ten years ago</a> in order to capture the Wharf. The <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/constructionandproperty/11375740/Qataris-victory-seals-decades-long-struggle-for-control-of-Canary-Wharf.html">&pound;2.6bn takeover siege</a> has kept devotees of such matters enthralled for weeks. But it’s business as usual, despite all the blood on the floor.<br /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/davehillblog/2015/jan/31/as-canary-wharf-expands-will-more-east-londoners-enjoy-the-benefits">Continue reading...</a>SocietyRegenerationCommunitiesBusinessLondonPovertySocial exclusionYouth unemploymentUnemploymentYoung peopleChildrenLondon Evening StandardRegional & local newspapersNewspapers & magazinesNewspapersSat, 31 Jan 2015 20:43:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/davehillblog/2015/jan/31/as-canary-wharf-expands-will-more-east-londoners-enjoy-the-benefitsPhotograph: Jeffrey Blackler / Alamy/AlamyCanary Wharf skyline seen from Crossharbour in 2011.Photograph: Jeffrey Blackler / Alamy/AlamyCanary Wharf skyline seen from Crossharbour in 2011.Dave Hill2015-01-31T20:43:11ZCircular economy could create half a million UK jobshttp://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jan/30/circular-economy-could-create-half-a-million-uk-jobs
<p>New report from Wrap and Green Alliance outlines employment opportunities from circular economy, particularly in the north-east and West Midlands</p><p>We hear a lot about how we are running out of resources, but for many people it is hard to visualise. Sometimes I’m asked: “Could it really happen?” The simple answer is yes, it could. And a lot sooner than we might think if change isn’t initiated soon. In fact, we have examples of where it has already happened.</p><p>The <a href="http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/easter-island/">stone-carved faces of Easter Island</a> are shrouded in mystery and intrigue. But behind them hides a past – one where an island, once bountiful and rich in resources, was consumed until all the natural capital was exhausted.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jan/28/natural-captial-profit-world-economy">Failing to protect nature's capital could cost businesses trillions</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/circular-economy-business-transformation-one-trillion-savings">Circular economy offers business transformation and $1tn of savings</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/dec/04/experts-reflect-circular-economy-progress">Experts reflect on progress of circular economy in last year</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jan/30/circular-economy-could-create-half-a-million-uk-jobs">Continue reading...</a>Guardian sustainable businessWasteRecyclingUnemploymentCorporate social responsibilityBusinessEnvironmentSocietyFri, 30 Jan 2015 15:00:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jan/30/circular-economy-could-create-half-a-million-uk-jobsPhotograph: Stephen Alvarez/Getty Images/National GeographicWhat were those on Easter Island thinking when they cut the last remaining tree down?Photograph: Stephen Alvarez/Getty Images/National GeographicWhat were those on Easter Island thinking when they cut the last remaining tree down?Liz Goodwin2015-01-30T15:00:08ZHow the UK sacrificed pay for jobshttp://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/30/how-the-uk-sacrificed-pay-for-jobs
This recovery has been like no other – a record number of Britons are in work but the average worker is poorer than before 2008<p>There’s been nothing like it in modern times. First there was a recession of extraordinary severity. Then there has been the strangest of recoveries that has seen record numbers of Britons in work but the average worker poorer than before the sky fell in. A lot poorer.</p><p>The curious story of the UK economy from 2008 to 2014 is sketched out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies today. Dry and dusty it might seem, but the thinktank’s study of “earnings since the recession” tells the story of how the UK sacrificed pay for jobs.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/30/how-the-uk-sacrificed-pay-for-jobs">Continue reading...</a>RecessionEconomicsFinancial crisisBankingFinancial sectorInflationInstitute for Fiscal StudiesBusinessWork & careersPayFamily financesMoneyThinktanksGeorge OsbornePoliticsUnemploymentPublic sector payPublic services policySocietyWorld newsFri, 30 Jan 2015 00:01:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/30/how-the-uk-sacrificed-pay-for-jobsPhotograph: Christopher Thomond/GuardianOffice workers in Bingley, West Yorkshire. The salaries of public and private sector workers have suffered. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the GuardianPhotograph: Christopher Thomond/GuardianOffice workers in Bingley, West Yorkshire. The salaries of public and private sector workers have suffered. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the GuardianLarry Elliott, economics editor2015-01-30T00:01:04ZStuart Broad has just swallowed the vindictive rhetoric on the feckless poor | Zoe Williamshttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/28/stuart-broad-vindictive-rhetoric-feckless-poor-benefits
The cricketer’s minimum wage tweet shows numeracy is not his strong point. But, like most people, he fails to realise that jobs often don’t pay enough to live on<p>“I’ve heard if you earn minimum wage in England you’re in the top 10% earners in the world. #stay #humble” The central mystery surrounding <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jan/27/stuart-broad-minimum-wage-england-humble">Stuart Broad’s sanctimonious Twitter</a> activity (<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jan/28/stuart-broad-minimum-wage-comments-innocent">he has since apologised</a>) is how he came to be a cricketer. You would think someone with poor numeracy would be better suited to a sport like football.</p><p>It is relatively easy to be in the richest 10% on the minimum wage, if you’re happy to live in a very expensive place. The minimum wage in Gabon is &pound;3,672, or less than a third of our &pound;13,500. On the other hand, a suburban one-bedroom flat there is &pound;63 a month, or less than an eighth the cost of the average suburban one-bedder in the UK (&pound;541). A couple more data points (average public transport, 17p to &pound;2.20) and the picture is pretty plain; someone on the minimum wage in the UK may technically be richer, but could buy a lot less and will ergo struggle a lot more. Money doesn’t mean anything out of context: its value is determined by what you can buy with it. Most people figure this out by the age of about seven.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/28/stuart-broad-vindictive-rhetoric-feckless-poor-benefits">Continue reading...</a>Minimum wageStuart BroadCricketSportUnemploymentUK newsBenefitsSocietyPovertySocial exclusionWelfarePoliticsWed, 28 Jan 2015 09:52:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/28/stuart-broad-vindictive-rhetoric-feckless-poor-benefitsPhotograph: Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesEngland cricketer Stuart Broad at the Waca in Perth, Australia. 'He's a victim, not a perpetrator, but it wouldn't kill him to concentrate.' Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesEngland cricketer Stuart Broad at the Waca in Perth, Australia. 'He's a victim, not a perpetrator, but it wouldn't kill him to concentrate.' Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesZoe Williams2015-01-28T09:52:25ZMark McGowan: the artist taxi driver with a rear-view manifesto | Dawn Fosterhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/28/mark-mcgowan-artist-taxi-driver-rear-view-manifesto
Mixing an artist’s eye and cabbie’s perspective, Mark McGowan’s online polemics against social harms he sees caused by politics are moving traffic<p>Mark McGowan spends an awful lot of time in cars, as a minicab driver. To fill the dead time, he records videos on his iPhone – short rants about politics, social and current affairs, and uploads them to YouTube, where he is better known as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZGQn43c3bYKKkCWydbnmaBGSYYtl9iEu" title="">ChunkyMark, the Artist Taxi Driver</a>. The first videos appeared in 2010, and were watched by only a few hundred people. McGowan’s unscripted and usually expletive-laden clips have now garnered him a formidable audience, with over 42,000 subscribers on the channel, and 40,000 <a href="https://twitter.com/chunkymark" title="">Twitter </a>followers. The 3,057 videos, which have now branched out to include interviews with any political or public figures willing to fill his passenger seat, together with three feature-length films made by Chunky Productions have been viewed more than 11.5m times.</p><p>The Artist Taxi Driver persona sprang from a short conversation outside the Frieze art fair in London. “I went to Frieze, and couldn’t get in, and someone said: ‘Are you a taxi driver?’ I said, ‘no, I’m the artist taxi driver’ and that’s how it was born,” he explains.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/28/mark-mcgowan-artist-taxi-driver-rear-view-manifesto">Continue reading...</a>SocietyAusterityCommunitiesNHSUnemploymentArtWed, 28 Jan 2015 08:00:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/28/mark-mcgowan-artist-taxi-driver-rear-view-manifestoPhotograph: Martin Godwin/GuardianMark McGowan, aka the Artist Taxi Driver, has an audience of over 40,000 for his YouTube political videos, recorded in his minicab. Photograph: Martin Godwin for the GuardianPhotograph: Martin Godwin/GuardianMark McGowan, aka the Artist Taxi Driver, has an audience of over 40,000 for his YouTube political videos, recorded in his minicab. Photograph: Martin Godwin for the GuardianDawn Foster2015-01-28T08:00:01ZGreen party’s flagship economic policy would hit poorest hardest, say expertshttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jan/27/green-party-citizens-income-policy-hits-poor
Citizen’s income – an unconditional income for every individual – would not work as hoped unless means-tested, say researchers<p>The Green party’s flagship economic policy, the &pound;72 a week “citizen’s income”, would hit the poorest hardest unless it was made more complicated by including a means-tested element, the leading advocate of the policy has conceded.</p><p>The <a href="http://www.citizensincome.org/" title="">Citizen’s Income Trust</a> (CIT), which has given advice to the Green party and been repeatedly cited by the Greens, has modelled its scheme and discovered it would mean 35.15% of households would be losers, with many of the biggest losers among the poorest households.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jan/27/green-party-citizens-income-policy-hits-poor">Continue reading...</a>Green partyWelfareLiberal DemocratsEconomic policyPoliticsAndrew NeilMediaIncome taxTaxPensionsTax creditsState benefitsMoneyChild benefitBenefitsUnemploymentSocietyTue, 27 Jan 2015 20:05:35 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jan/27/green-party-citizens-income-policy-hits-poorPhotograph: Christopher Middleton/Demotix/CorbisNatalie Bennett, leader of the Green party (right), on a 'tax justice' demonstration in Manchester last year. Photograph: Christopher Middleton/Demotix/CorbisPhotograph: Christopher Middleton/Demotix/CorbisNatalie Bennett, leader of the Green party (right), on a 'tax justice' demonstration in Manchester last year. Photograph: Christopher Middleton/Demotix/CorbisPatrick Wintour, political editor2015-01-27T20:05:35Z